Areca-nut's alternate uses emphasised

Sirsi, Karnataka, Oct 14 (UNI) Giving a ray of hope to areca-nut growers in the country, farm scientist and researcher Dr G N Hegde today released a CD, detailing its utility in the future and the various products that could be prepared from the nut like chocolate, digestive tablet and paste.

Dr Hegde's research for four years, financed by the Union Department of Science and Technology, had come as a boon to the areca-nut growers whose future was uncertain following the Centre's proposed Gutkha ban.

The CD, released at a function here jointly organised by various areca growers cooperative societies of the State, also dealt with the history of areca-nut, its origin, past and present.

Speaking at the function, Dr Hegde from in Uttara Kannada district, said he had reached the final stage of his research project - 'Areca-Alternative Use and its Research'. He wanted to exhibit the areca by-products manufactured by him like chocolate, digestive tablet, paste and chewing nut, in the National Science Exhibition, to be held at Ahmedabad University in January 2007.

Lamenting that not much research activity had been conducted in areca-nut, he said even the results of the researches conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), CFTRI, Mysore, PPM, Kerala, IDRI Pune, OTRI, Anantapur, and Bombay Universities had not reached the growers.

Stating that areca-nut was not poisonous in itself, but was injurious to health only when mixed with tobacco, he said there were plenty of references regarding consumption of areca-nut in Ayurveda texts.

UNI XR GD KR KP1626